Pros:Well-priced; Works as a mobile phone.
Cons:mediocre build quality; Poor display; Lacklustre multimedia performance; Useless camera.
Spice Tab Mi-720MRP: Rs 16,500
Street Price (As On 14-Dec-2011): Rs 13,000 (Saholic.com; Adexmart.com; Infibeam.com)
Although many companies have entered the tablet market, none has yet managed to replicate the success of the iPads and GALAXY Tabs. Perceiving a glut in the high-end segment, some manufacturers have decided to try their luck with affordable tablets. Although most of these entry-level products compromise heavily on features, Spice's offering looks promising due to its capacitive touchscreen and phone capabilities.
Design And Specs
The retail box packs in a tablet, USB cable, charger, and earphones. The manufacturer has also provided a complimentary leather cover. The device measures 7.9" (l) x 4.6" (w) x 0.5" (d), and at 485 grammes, it's heavier than the competition. It looks and feels similar to the Reliance 3G Tab, save for the glossy plastic at the back. Although I'm not expecting great build quality at this price point, the device creaks when pressed around the corners, which isn't a good sign at all.
The 7" touchscreen has pixel dimensions of 800x480. The screen's brightness is poor, and colours look dull. It's also the most reflective display I've ever seen on a tablet, so much so that it was near impossible to take head-on photos without capturing my reflection on the screen. Needless to say, it works like a mirror under sunlight. What's worse is that viewing angles are very limited, and a scratch-resistant coating is absent.
The tablet is powered by an 800 MHz CPU and Adreno 200 GPU. The official website claims 2 GB of RAM, but my guess is that it's a typo and they meant 256 MB. Other specs include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 2 MP rear and front VGA camera, 3.5 mm jack, microSD card slot, and a 4200 mAh battery.
Spice has been courteous enough to mark the various ports and slots.
User Interface And Apps
The tablet runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) instead of Gingerbread, which is disappointing. Additionally, the OTA (Over The Air) update was nowhere to be found. Spice hasn't bothered to customise the stock Android installation, but has thrown in a bunch of pre-installed apps to compensate for it. While a few apps, such as ES File Explorer, Documents To Go, and Nimbuzz are really useful, others like ibibo and naukri are just icons with embedded website links.
Although the touchscreen is good at registering inputs, there's a noticeable lag in the UI, probably due to the slow CPU. You can notice framing while swiping the homescreens or scrolling though the list of apps. However, the experience isn't that bad for what you're paying.
Apart from the standard tablet features, the device also works as a phone. You can use any operator's SIM to make calls, send SMSs, and use other data services. The device's sound quality during voice calls is good. However, I recommend using the bundled earphones to answer calls, because holding a 7" slate near your head makes you look like a fool.
Multimedia
The Mi-720's audio quality is bad through the bundled earphones. Moreover, it also lacks equaliser settings. However, the onboard speakers are loud, which is the only saving grace. The multimedia experience is made worse by the disappointing video player. While it expectedly fails to play 720p videos, 480p movies with a higher bitrate are also a no-go. This is a big downer, since most of its target audience will use it to watch movies.
The 2 MP auto-focus camera is terrible, and is only recommended as a last resort. Its video recording capability is no different either - the less said about this feature, the better. Having said that, I'm pretty sure that no one is going to buy this tablet for the camera function anyway.
The music player's interface.
Battery And VerdictThe 4200 mAh Lithium-ion battery performs quite well. Under normal use, it managed to keep the device running from dawn to dusk. Under heavy use, you can watch two Hollywood movies back to back. This isn't bad considering that the tablet also simultaneously handles all the functions of a mobile phone.
For the price of Rs 13,000, the Mi-720 offers a capacitive touchscreen and a full-fledged phone. On the other hand, its display is below average, build quality mediocre, and multimedia performance disappointing. Hence, I can only recommend it to someone who wants a cheap tablet with an unlocked 3G phone function. In short, it's like the Spice Girl no one cared for.
Features: 3/5
Design And Build Quality: 2/5
Performance: 2/5
Value For Money: 3/5
Mojo: 2/5
Overall Rating: 2.5/5
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